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Please use these blog posts, videos, and patient handouts as free tools to improve your health!

Nov 1, 2019
2 min

Top 5 Protein Powders

There are so many choices when it comes to protein powders! How to know what to choose? I've tried a lot of protein powders and have a few ground rules when searching for the right one. Within these ground rules, I will share with you my top 5 protein powders. I am in no way sponsored by any of these companies. I'm simply sharing my experience to save you some trial and error! Ground Rules: No cane sugar listed the ingredients. Cane sugar adds calories for no nutritive value

Emily Wolbers, ND

Sep 6, 2019
2 min

When life gives you lemons, eat them!

Get rid of post-meal bloating once and for all! Today's blog post is all about digestive tonics -- substances that stimulate and soothe the GI tract. One of the most common tonics I turn to in my practice is bitters...yes, the exact kind you put in your cocktails! The original use of bitters is traced back to ancient Egypt and further developed in the Middle Ages. Medicinal herbs were infused in jars of wine or distilled alcohol and were placed on shelves in later-day pharmac

Emily Wolbers, ND

Jun 14, 2019
2 min

Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Getting Started

You may have heard of an anti-inflammatory diet before, but there are lots of foods that are anti-inflammatory. What is included in a true anti-inflammatory diet? Today's post will address what is eliminated on an anti-inflammatory diet, and then the good stuff: what to eat. The benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet are vast and individual. People often notice increased energy, weight loss, clearer skin, improved sleep, and easy digestion to name a few. Key concepts of an ant

Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber: Good Poops, Good Cholesterol

Emily Wolbers, ND

May 24, 2019
1 min

Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber: Good Poops, Good Cholesterol

It took me an embarrassingly long time to get soluble versus insoluble fiber straight. I finally got it. Today's blog post will lay out the differences between the two and hopefully help you keep them straight too. Soluble fiber is the kind that attracts water and turns into a gel in the digestive tract. This gel pulls water from the GI tract to slow movement and bulk up the stool. Soluble fiber helps prevent constipation and diarrhea. While soluble fiber is bulking up the st

Emily Wolbers, ND

May 3, 2019
1 min

Celiac Disease: More Than Just The Gut

In honor or Celiac Awareness Month, this week’s post offers some information about non-intuitive signs and symptoms of celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that is triggered by eating gluten, a protein found in wheat. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the finger-like projections, called villi, of the small intestine. When these villi are damaged, the body is unable to absorb nutrients as effectively, whic

Emily Wolbers, ND

Apr 5, 2019
1 min

Dietary Causes of Disease

All chronic illness, and most acute illness, have to do with maldigestion. Maldigestion may not always be obvious, but it can cause fermentation and putrefaction reactions in the intestines, which result in gas and bloating. These reactions produce toxins and irritants that are absorbed through the intestines and into the bloodstream. The blood is then carrying a high amount of metabolic toxins and irritants to other areas of the body. This is the cause of chronic inflammatio

Fungal Overgrowth: Candida, SIFO, Yeast Infections, and more.

Emily Wolbers, ND

Mar 29, 2019
2 min

Fungal Overgrowth: Candida, SIFO, Yeast Infections, and more.

I know this isn't the most glamorous topic, but it's an important one and more prevalent that you might think. Candida albicans is fungus that is part of normal flora. That means some Candida is suppose to be in the body, genitals, GI tract, and skin. The problem is when there is too much, yeast overgrowth occurs, which leads to pesky symptoms. Since Candida is part of normal flora, overgrowth symptoms can occur in many places. It may manifest as an itchy rash, diarrhea, flat

Emily Wolbers, ND

Mar 22, 2019
2 min

Bloated Belly Blues

I hate feeling bloated. It's one of those sensations that just puts me in a bad mood, and I have a feeling I'm not alone in that. Bloating is a common symptom in the GI tract and is caused by one thing... Gas. So let's put on our naturopathic brain and get to the root cause; what causes the gas? Gas typically forms in the colon AKA the large intestine where lots of bacteria live. These bacteria ferment carbohydrates that aren't digested in the small intestine. This is normal

Emily Wolbers, ND

Mar 8, 2019
2 min

The GI Tract Affects the Entire Body

"All disease begins in the the gut", said Hippocrates. One might infer that health must begin in the gut as well. When problems occur in the gut, they can manifest in other areas of the body in a variety of ways. Immune: Did you know that 70% of your immune system is in the gut? The immune system both in and out of the gut are interrelated and protect the body from harmful microorganisms and toxins. Apart from our skin, the GI tract is one of the main barriers against illness

Emily Wolbers, ND

Feb 19, 2019
1 min

Irritable Bowel, Irritable Me

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal disorder. It acts as a catch-all diagnosis for symptoms of abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. IBS is defined by having abdominal pain or discomfort at least 1 day per week for the past 3 months. Symptoms improve after having a bowel movement and are often associated with a change in stool frequency or appearance. Looking at this list of symptoms, its no wonder that

Emily Wolbers, ND

Feb 19, 2019
1 min

Dietary Causes of Disease

Emily Wolbers, ND

Jan 25, 2019
1 min

Traveler's Diarrhea: Cause of SIBO

"How was your vacation?" "Oh it was lovely! The beaches were pristine. The sun felt amazing. The only bad thing was that I got sick..." Traveler's diarrhea affects over 25,000 travelers per day. That's 10 million people per year! Traveler's diarrhea, AKA acute gastroenteritis, occurs from eating or drinking contaminated food or water. It most commonly occurs from eating raw fruits and vegetables or drinking tap water, and the most common bacterial culprits are E.coli, Shigell

Emily Wolbers, ND

Dec 28, 2018
2 min

GI Health and Emotions

The gut-brain connection is all about nourishing the microbiome to keep the GI tract happy and the mind at ease. The GI tract is made up of 100 million nerve cells, which is why it affectionately earns the title of "the 2nd brain". This is evidenced by the familiar feelings of "an anxious belly", "a gut feeling", "butterflies in the stomach". The mind is powerful and so is the gut! Here are 4 ways to nourish both: Set the stage -- in an earlier blog post, I talked about the

Emily Wolbers, ND

Dec 7, 2018
1 min

Yoga Poses for Digestive Ease

Eat too much during the holidays? Me too. Here are a few yoga poses to get the digestive system moving and relieve some discomfort from fullness. Trikonasana (Triangle pose) -- bring feet twice as wide as the shoulders, point toes of one foot away, bring one hand on to the shin or a block, raise other hand high, keep both legs straight, gaze up or down. This pose improves digestion and stimulates appetite. Paschimottanasana (Forward bending pose) -- keep both legs straight, f

Emily Wolbers, ND

Oct 26, 2018
3 min

Set the Stage for Mealtime

Growing up, we always said a prayer of thanks before each meal. Little did I know that this habit helps the nervous system be in a better state for digestion. Our nervous system has 2 primary aspects that are crucial to understand: The Parasympathetic State, also known as “rest and digest” and The Sympathetic State, also known as “fight or flight” When in a sympathetic state, the body is in a stress response, and blood is sent to the extremities so we can fight or flee. Blood

Emily Wolbers, ND

Oct 5, 2018
2 min

When life gives you lemons, eat them!

Emily Wolbers, ND

Sep 21, 2018
1 min

Ubiquitous IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal disorder, likely because it acts as a catch-all diagnosis. Symptoms of IBS can include abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, or both. IBS is defined by having abdominal pain or discomfort at least 1 day per week for the past 3 months. Symptoms improve after having a bowel movement and are often associated with a change in stool frequency or appearance. There are many poss

Emily Wolbers, ND

Sep 14, 2018
2 min

Feel Anxious After Meals?

Are the feelings of anxiety, reflux, belching, getting full fast, shallow breathing, or flatulence familiar to you? These are all common symptoms of hiatal hernia syndrome, one of the most common functional GI complaints. Hiatal hernia syndrome is when part of the stomach causes upward pressure against the diaphragm and causes an out-pouching effect of the stomach. In a true hiatal hernia, you would see out-pouching on medical imaging, but imaging doesn't notice hiatal hernia

First Thing First: How To Eat, Not What To Eat

Emily Wolbers, ND

Sep 5, 2018
1 min

First Thing First: How To Eat, Not What To Eat

I'm sure you've heard it hundreds of times: eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is a key ticket to wellness. Yes, this is true, and I certainly prescribe to this sentiment, but what is often overlooked is how to eat. In my book, how to eat is just as, if not more important, than what to eat. Here's why: In order for our body's to get nutrients from the food we eat, we have to be in a relaxed state, also called parasympathetic state. A parasympathetic state helps make saliva,

Emily Wolbers, ND

Sep 1, 2018
2 min

Emotions and Gut Health

Have you ever heard the term "anxious belly"? It's more than just a turn of phrase! Our emotions are connected to our GI health in ways that science is just beginning to explain. Many people call this the Gut-Brain Connection. Our nervous and digestive functions go hand-in-hand. In fact, when the nervous system is overly stressed, the digestive system turns off. Just how there is a spectrum of stress levels, there is a spectrum of how our digestive system is affected. Perhaps

Top 5 Protein Powders

When life gives you lemons, eat them!

Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Getting Started

Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber: Good Poops, Good Cholesterol

Celiac Disease: More Than Just The Gut

Dietary Causes of Disease

Fungal Overgrowth: Candida, SIFO, Yeast Infections, and more.

Bloated Belly Blues

The GI Tract Affects the Entire Body

Irritable Bowel, Irritable Me

Dietary Causes of Disease

Traveler's Diarrhea: Cause of SIBO

GI Health and Emotions

Yoga Poses for Digestive Ease

Set the Stage for Mealtime

When life gives you lemons, eat them!

Ubiquitous IBS

Feel Anxious After Meals?

First Thing First: How To Eat, Not What To Eat

Emotions and Gut Health

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